Hellcat Squadran: Duel of the Fates
Things were going great for Holly Lund and Sen Urec, until the Isithid Visarius revealed himself. With a plan to make all life in this galaxy his slaves, Visarius took over the minds of all Sith in the galaxy, including Sen. Now, faced with the difficult task of stopping an evil from spreading across the galaxy, Holly must follow her heart, and try to find a way to both save Sen and stop Visarius. (Uses ODST Grievous-Style First-Person Prologue, narrated by Natalia Llehctim) Prologue When you've lived a century, you know things. And one thing that I know is that Sen and Holly are perfect for each other. A rather unorthodox mix, don't you think, both members being living defiances of logic: a former Sith and a former AI...ok, so the latter is a greater defiance of logic, but to be honest, I still find it hard to believe that a Sith could come back. Don't get me wrong, though, Sen is a nice person, it's just something about him gives me the creeps. Probably the fact that he still quite frequently uses Force Powers collectively called the 'Dark Side of the Force'. I don't get why they're strictly 'Dark', but I do get some bad vibes when one's used nearby. On the other end is Holly, who actually used to be an AI. She was transformed by Draconus Rex when she was almost destroyed by an EMP Pulse. Good thing she wanted to be human... Well, now, Sen and Holly are talking right now. I'll just use a rather useful trick I learned, so I can listen in...yes...it sounds like...ah man, I'm certain Zack, jerk or not, would very much appreciate hearing about this. 3 minutes later... Didn't take me long to find him. He was with Leandra somewhere in the base, I run up to him and say, "Zack! You'll never guess what I just overheard!" He seemed confused as to who was talking to him, before realizing it was me and saying, "Set me on fire and I will kill you. Oh, and look down." Why'd he assume I would set him on fire, and why'd he say...OH SHOOT! "Must have been so excited for Holly and Sen that I forgot to turn that power off." The power I learned makes me COMPLETELY invisible. I'll just deactivate the power...there. I should be visible now. "New trick I taught myself, it's how I got that news." Leandra apparently caught the bit about Holly and Sen, because now she comments, "Now I have to know." Wait, she just muttered, "Eavesdropper." Whatever... "Anyways...While practicing that power...I found Sen and Holly...and I watched...as Sen proposed to Holly!" Zack just facepalmed himself. "If you're gonna eavesdrop on something like that, then you had better at least have the answer." Well, turns out I do..."Well, based on the way Holly was jumping up and down, I think that'd be a 'yes'." Leandra then commented, "Well, I'm going to pretend you never told us so they can have the thrill of letting everyone know. Believe me, that was fun." Good plan... However, there was someone else I HAD to tell. "Well, I'm gonna go tell Tory anyways, he'd be furious that I found this out and didn't tell him, whether Holly beats me there or not!" "Why even let him know you know?" "Trust me, I KNOW he'd find out one way or the other..." With that, I bid them farewell and I'm off to Tory's labs. Suddenly, while travelling through one of the hallways on the upper levels, a large head peers in through a window. Fortunately, I recognize the scaly, but friendly face. "Paarthurnax!" I shout in shock, "Don't do that, I'm technically only 10 and you almost gave me a heart attack!" "Apologies, Krosis, I was merely wanting to hear what news there is. I've heard something wonderful, Kogaan, but do not know it true." "Well, I happen to know that Sen just proposed to Holly. They're gonna get married!" "Ah, yes, Vokrosis Sul, I have heard this. This is a joyous occasion. I shall pass this on to Odahviing. He'll probably feel happy for Holly. Drem Yol Lok, Natalia." "Drem Yol Lok!" I feel a little silly using the dragon greeting/farewell in place of a simple good-bye, but I'm just too happy to care. Now where was I...oh yeah, Tory. I'm not sure how he'll take it, whether he'll be happy for Holly, or if he'll be a little irritated that he didn't know sooner...well...only one way to find out... Chapter 1: Vokrosis Sul Sen and Holly soon spread news of the proposal themselves. Alban briefly congradulated Sen when he told him, while Holly got multiple congradulations from her AI 'siblings'. Those that already knew pretended to act surprised. Finally, when it came time to inform IceBite, they both did so together. IceBite seemed genuinely happy for them. "Well, congradulations, you 2," he said, "Well, you'd better plan out how it'll work out. By the way, can you send Alban up here? I'm about to make another person as happy as you two are." Not understanding how anyone could be has happy as they could be right now, they did as told, and, when Alban heard the news IceBite had, they understood why he'd be happy. "Got incredibly good news: our Intelligence located a Shadow Alliance Base hidden in the Nevada Wasteland. The Phantom Legion was going to just flatten it, but that changed when I was was given a copied roster stolen from the base. Among the slaves currently on the roster: one 'Kristine Constanze Pahlke'." For a moment, Alban stood rigid in place, then kept repeatedly and repeatedly asking if he was sure that was the name, getting more excited with each asking. So, IceBite just shoved the printed-out roster into his hand, and, clear as day, it said 'Kristine Constanze Pahlke - Slave - Alive'. Alban leapt into the air, shouting with joy, a side nobody in Hellcat Squadran had seen before. "So, when are we performing the rescue?!" he asked. IceBite merely smiled, and said, "Get Task Force Omega together..." ---- The people associated with the operation stood at attention: Alban stood to one far side of the group, with a mix of readiness and excitement showing on his body languange. Next were Marquis Hatcher and Kei Nagase of Cerberus Wing, followed by the other 2 Cerberus Pilots, Marcus Snow and Hans Grimm. Next up was Toa Onua and Genetic Hero Viper, the former standing rigidly and still, the other jittering like a squirrel that just drank a mug of pure caffeine. Skar, also part of Omega, was out on other business at Nocturna. Next was Lillian York and her Scrin Cohort Lancelot, both ready for a fight, After them was Qymaen, his lightsabers hanging from his hip, his organic eyes moving from person to person. He knew he wasn't going on this mission, but prefered to be here anyways. Finally, at the far end of the line from Alban was Dawn, Tory, and May. In another part of the room, Ryan Ferran and Claire Farron-Ferran waited for their orders. "Ok," IceBite started, "Now that we're all here, let's get started. This simple Assault has been complicated by the presence of one of our top priority Rescue Targets: Alban's sister, Kristine Constanze Pahlke. Apparently, she'd been held captive by Nod for several years, used as slave labor. We've known that the Shadow Alliance probably had her captive these past 12 years, but now we know for sure, and we know where..." The hologram of the Shadow Alliance Wasteland facility appeared, surrounded by its defenses. Next, May stepped up, and looked over the hologram. Then, she pointed to several spots on the map, most notably a sewege grate. She said, "These look like good infiltration points. Depending on the time of day, however, I'd suggest the sewege system." Alban stepped forward. Despite May's expertise in Covert Ops, Assassination, and Stealth, Alban was selected as this mission's lead, the target for rescue being his sister. "May, Onua, Viper, Lillian, and I will head in through the sewers, along with Penelo, who'll be here momentarilly. Lancelot, Tory, Dawn, and Cerberus Wing will initiate probing attacks on these points," he pointed on the hologram where the defenses were weakest, "Then, once we get inside, we'll use any means necessary to discover Kristine's location. Once we have, we'll go in, retrieve her, and set up a beacon, at which time, the Phantom Legion is to start their attack, in order to make a diversion so we can exfiltrate ourselves, by reaching the base's hanger," he pointed to it on the hologram, "And steal a dropship. Now, any questions?" Ryan asked, "Why wait and give them a chance to set up? Why not just attack the facility and get your sister if we can?" "Because you just said 'If you can'. I'm NOT taking that chance, so, if we're done here, let's move!" Chapter 2: Liberation May quietly led the other members of the team to the grate, both her and Onua utilizing Kanohi Hunas, while Lillian, Viper, and Alban used Active Camo Generators, while Penelo utilized a Vanish Magick. After waiting for the guard to leave, Onua stepped forward, swapped for his Pakari Nuva, and, with his claws, shredded the grate. Before the guard could return to investigate the noise, the group was inside the sewer, and Alban repaired the grate. When the guard left, May whispered, "Good repair work." "Thanks," Alban responded blandly, "Had to learn how to repair stuff while living in the Mojave." "Enough talk, no doubt Ryan grows impatient. If we want to find your sister, Alban, we should hurry." ---- Ryan began to get impatient. It's been 2 hours since Task Force Omega's Infiltration Team entered the facility, and Cerberus Wing commenced it's Hit-and-Run Bombing Run on a weak link in the defenses. His patience was wearing thin. Finally, he turned to his comm system. Claire approached and asked, "What are you doing?" Ryan responded, "They're taking too long. I'm commencing the attack." Claire was shocked. Alban's team was still inside there, and the attack could trap them inside...or worse..."You can't yet. Alban's team hsn't activated the beason. If we attack now, we'd be killing them!" Ryan, still irriteated, responded, "We've given them enough time as it is. If they haven't reported in yet, there's a good chance they are dead." Claire responded, "Not necessarilly. Remember IceBite's mental link with May? If the team were indeed dead, IceBite would have sensed it, and, if he did, he'd have already ordered the attack to commence himself." Ryan thought a moment. Claire was right. But he couldn't just ignore that base..."Hmmm. Ten more minutes, if not, we need to go in. That base is important," he reluctantly decided. Claire sighed in relief. Hopefully, they had infiltrated the base enough to be at least 10 minutes away from their target... ---- Alban and the team snuch through the hall. Suddenly, Viper stopped them, he moved to the corner...and whipped his arm out. There was a sickening squish as his arm-blade hit something. Around the corner was a Nod guard, clutching his throat and foaming at the mouth. Viper's toxins killed him in seconds. The team continued down the hall. Suddenly, they heard a group approaching. May, Lillian, and Alban climbed into the rafters, while Onua uprooted a metal plate, dug into the soil below, and pulled the plate back on top of himself, Viper, and Penelo. Soon, a Nod official came down the hall, with 2 guards. Before May or Lillian could stop him, Alban took out his switchblade and struck: clinging to the rafters with his legs, he swung down and slit the throat of one guard. The other turned and tried to fire, but, pulling out his revolver, Alban beat him, putting a .44 Magnum round in the guard's head. Before the Nod official could respond, Alban had his switchblade out, and against the official's throat. "17 year old, female, used as slave here, where is she?" Alban hissed. The official remained silent so Alban sliced his arm. The Nod official yelped inn pain, but still wouldn't talk. Then, Alban cut off one of the Official's fingers. The Nod official shrieked in pain, Alban then put the blade back to the official's neck and gently applied pressure... "OK! OK! She's in the prision sector, just a few doors down. She was beaten and left there!" Alban's face, inside his helmet, turn angry. "My sister was BEATEN?!" "Your sis...OH SHIT!" Alban then slit the Official's throat, and, leaving him to bleed to death, ran off in the direction indicated. Both May and Lillian dropped down out of the Rafters...right on top of Onua, Penelo, and Viper as the trio tried to leave their hole. "Our bad..." Lillian said. The group put the plate back in place, and moved to follow Alban. When they caught up to him, he was in the prison block, looking into a cell. Inside was a young woman, around 17 years old. She was wearing a tattered dress and her hair was a little messed up. However, from her face, Alban immediately recognized her. "Kristy..." he said quietly. The metal door seemed locked shut, so Lillian said, "Step aside, time for my job." Even though she wasn't the insane bounty hunter she was 90 years ago, she was still an...enthusiastic demolitionist. She placed a few C12 charges near the door and, soon, the group backed off. Pressing the detonator, Lillian smiled her insane smile from her bounty hunter days as the door was blasted open. Alban, thankful Lillian's placement of the charges merely obliterated the lock and threw the door to the side, ran in, to the body of his sister. He felt for a pulse, which he found, but it was fading. Fast. Penelo pushed her way in and said, "Ok, time for me to get to work." Preparing a Revive Magick, she charged up White Magick energy for a few seconds, then released a bolt of searing white light, which struck Kristine square in the chest. Then, before the team's eyes, Kristine's wound began to dissipate. Not entirely, but, soon, her pulse was noticable again. Sighing with relief, Alban pulled something out: the Beacon. "Well," Alban began, "Let's get ready to run, won't do to keep them waiting." After Onua picked up Kristine (being the strongest there), Alban put the beacon on the floor, and pushed a button on the side. The lights on top began to flash. ---- Ryan's patience was wearing thin again. 9 minutes have elapsed and Claire looked at him worryingly. He about gave the order to attack, when something caught his attention. Both Ryan and Claire looked at a hologram of the base, and, inside, a dot began flashing where one wasn't flashing before. "It's them..." Claire said, realizing the light was the signal from the Infiltration Team's Beacon, "They did it!" "Well, looks like they made it after all," Ryan said, now glad he didn't attack ahead of schedule, but, now, the time for waiting was over. He turned to the comm system, and said into it, "The Beacon's been activated, begin the attack!" ---- The base's alarm immediately started to go off, as the base began to rock under the weapon strikes from the Phantom Legion Attack. Alban shouted to the others, "We have to get moving! NOW!" With that, the team made their way out of the Prison Sector. As the ran past a hall, their trackers detected Nod Soldiers around the corner, so, as they came past that hall, Alban fired with his .44 Magnum, striking 3 Nod Shadows straight in the head as he passed. The group continued on, and Lillian repeated Alban's previous maneuver with her Pistol, successfully killing a few Shadows herself. Then, a whole squad of Nod Militia got in front of them, but Viper charged ahead and, in a whirl of Toxic Blades, eliminated them, those that survived foaming at the mouth. Then, a Black Hand soldier charged them, but met its death in what seemed like a smiting by Holy Light. Undoubtably Penelo using the Magick Holy. Finally, they closed on the Hanger, when, suddenly, the hall collapsed in front of them. The group debated turnign back, when Onua passed Kristine to Alban. "Keep them off me," the Toa of Earth said, as he bore his claws and began digging into the debris. The group set up positions behind Onua, and killed the occasional Militia soldier that tried to charge them. Suddenly a group of Nod Shadows approached. Looking from the Shadows to his sister, Alban passed her to Penelo and told her, "See what you can do for her," before, brandishing his revolver, he lept from cover and attacked. The Shadows tried to fire, but Alban moved too quickly for them to properly aim: firing, he took down multiple Shadows caught unaware or unable to fire. Back at the debris pile, Onua kept digging and, finally, found a pair of rods. Gripping them and pulling with all his Pakari Nuva-assisted strength, he tore them out, causing the debris pile to collapse, revealing the hanger behind it. Picking Kristine back up and calling to Alban, he and the others made for the hanger, Alban following. Soon, after killing a few Nod Technicians, they boarded a Nod Carryall. After strapping Kristine in, Alban and Lillian got to the cockpit and prepared for lift-off, while May covered them with her SREVN Rifle, firing triple-shot sniper rifle bursts at any Nod soldier that dared approach. Lifting off, the 2 pilots tried to keep from being hit by debris as they rushed to escape. Near the exit, a large metal plate began to fall, but Lillian put the Carryall in top gear and, just barely, it made it. Looking back while Lillian directed them to the Phantom Legion Forward Command, Alban looked at the damaged base, then to Kristine, who appeared to be resting peacefully, while Penelo tended to her wounds further. Then, the Carryall landed. They left to find themselves surrounded by Phantom Legion Soldiers, all pointing their guns at the craft. However, once they saw who was inside, they lowered their weapons. Then, Ryan approached. "Looks like you guys made it out. Did you achieve your objective, Alban?" Alban nodded and said, sounding a mix of happy and relieved, "Yes, sir, I did. I got my sister out, and she's alive. However, we have to get her to Kaven, now." As he said that, Dawn and Tory arrived and Cerberus Wing flew overhead, on their way back to Kaven Base. "Alright. Get her to the ship, we can handle the base from here." ---- The vehicle approached Kaven Base. Everyone was chattering, excited about their recent success, but no one was as excited as Alban: the sister he had been searching for for 12 years was not only alive, but back in his care. Silently, he promised himself he'd never let her out of his sight again. Then, he felt a tap on his shoulder. "It was good working with you again, friend." "Good to work with you again, too, Onua," Alban responded. The atmosphere was cheerful in the vessel, as Alban moved over to the still-unconscious form of his sister Kristine. After all this time, after 12 years, and, despite the fact she was now 17, a good 12 years older than when he last saw her, he could still recognize her face. Suddenly, over the excited chatttering, Alban heard Penelo shout, "Oh my...EVERYONE!" Everyoen came to the front of the vessel, looked out...and saw smoke trailing from Kaven Base. ---- Seeing Kaven in trouble, the group kicked the ship into overdrive and arrived at the base. In the hangers, the met IceBite, with a look of shock, disbelief, and, at the sight of them, relief, coming their way. "Thank goodness you guys made it. Did the mission..." "Yes, we got my sister back alive and the Phantom Legion's cleaning up the base. What happened here?!" "After you guys left, an Imperial Star Destroyer came in and attacked. We have no icea how it got past our defenses. A dropship landed soon after, not far from Ryan's Place..." "Wait, Ryan's Place...but across from that is..." Tory then immediately rushed off towards where the dropship was last seen. When he got there, he was met with a sight that left him shocked and a little relieved: Holly was there, alive, but knelt on the ground, crying furiously. Both Tory and Alban rushed forward. "Holly, Holly!" Tory called to her, but she didn't answer. Then, Alban attempted to turn her head towards him. "Come on, Holly. Look at me. Look at me! Get yourself together! What happened?!" he said as he did so. Holly was too rattled to say anything for several minutes. Eventually, though, she composed herself enough to say, "Sen...the ones that attacked here...were here for Sen!" At that moment, the stress caused by the event was too much, and Holly passed out from disorientation. Chapter 3: Mind Games For hours, 2 groups were in the Kaven Base Med labs: one clustered around Alban's sister Kristine, waiting anxiously for her to wake up. The other was around Holly, who was still suffering from the shock of her ordeal. Alban was waiting in between the 2 clusters: He wanted to be there when Kristine woke up, but Holly was his friend and he felt he had to be there for her as well... Suddenly, Meditron said, "She's waking up, Alban!" Meditron was working on Kristine. Deciding Holly could wait, Alban prepared to push through the crowd to reach his sister. Fortunately, though, the crowd allowed him through. Then, he did something he rarely, if ever, did: he removed his helmet. HE moved over to the bed, next to Kristine. He watched as she sturred, then openned her eyes. Then, Kristine asked weakly, "Alban? Is that...you?" Alban was then completely filled with joy. Kristine, even after 12 years, recognized him. Tearing up, he responded, "Yes, yes it's me." Kristine responded, "For 12 years...I just remembered you...and mom...and dad...and the others...I haven't forgotten you...you were the only thing...keeping me going..." That just made Alban more happy. He and his sister then hugged each other tightly. Then, Kristine noticed the others around her, and her demeanor changed. She sounded suspicious. "Where am I?" Alban was taken aback by that suspicion. "Don't worry, they're friends." Kristine looked a little skeptical, then a little woozy. "Get some rest. Don't worry, you're among friends here." Kristine looked skeptically at Meditron. "Don't worry about him. In fact, he IS the one who treated what wounds you still had when you got here." With that, Kristine went back to sleep. Just then, Dawn entered the room, arguing with a Coalition Security Official. Alban could only hear bits of the argument, and usually only from Dawn. "A Star Destroyer...by our defenses...obliterated in one shot...most incompitent..." Alban quickly realized Dawn was MAD about the security breach. HE heard rumors of her seriousness about security, but didn't believe any of them...until now, that is. Then he heard Ryan Ferran, back from flattening the Shadow Alliance base, speak out, "How the hell did this fucking happen!" Casually, Dawn answered, "That's what I'd like to know! Was the Coalition Security force DRUNK or something?!" Ryan then made a mistake and said, "I don't know. It's your job to look after them!" That got Dawn pissed. She angrilly replied, "It's my job to look after HELLCAT SQUADRAN'S Security. They were on their toes as usual." Ryan's response to that was, "Then how did they infiltrate the Squadran's MAIN BASE!" Dawn angrilly shot back, "I have no damn idea..." It wasn't until then that both noticed that Holy had also finally woken up, and she heard a great deal of the argument. Seeking to end the fight, she added in, I think...I think...I think those people that...that took Sen...they were... they were Sith..." Dawn replied, at least contwent she knew the cause of the breach, "Well, that'd explain it, they could infiltrate the base using the Force to cloak themselves..." Ryan, knowing more about the Force than Dawn, pointed out, "There would need to be a few, and they would need to be extremely powerful." "Or something powerful controlling them..." The voice came from the Paladin, Draconus Rex. Although a little old-fashioned, Draconus Rex was still both knowledgable and dangerous."I fought some of those Sith, I recognized their actions. They were consistant of Mind Slaves of an Illithid." Ryan was confused. "A what?!" Draconus Rex calmly responded, "An Illithid. Also known as a 'Mind Flayer. Dangerous creatures. Using Psionic Energies, they can control the minds of other creatures. More disturbing: they sometimes feast on the brains of their catch. However, this one would have to be exceptionally powerful, if it can control not only one Sith, but several." "Ok, good to know," Ryan responded. Holly, at that point, exclaimed, "If this Illithid can control Sith...what 's he going to do to Sen?!" "I don't know," came another voice, as IceBite walked into the room, flanked by May and Onua, "And I sure as hell don't want to find out. We're going after him." "But," Holly began, "We have no clue where he is. This...Illithid...could be masking his position..." "Not entirely. Meet me in the Command Center later." ---- An hour later, IceBite and several other individuals were in the Command Center. Although she was still a little shaken, Holly was among them. IceBite wordlessly turned on the Holopad, which then projected a hologram of the galaxy, then input a code, causing a dot to appear on the map. "This," IceBite said, "is where the tracer I have on Sen shows him to be. We're going after him." "How are we supposed to get to him?" asked Alban, "By the time we're ready, he's sure to be out of our effective range." "Not necessarilly," IceBite said, before showing the route the ship is taking: it's currently on the edge of the Mutara Nebula. "That's the..." "Yes, Holly. The Mutara Nebula. If we hurry, we can ambush them at the other end." "So, who's going to do this?" Alban asked, "I can't just leave my sister, especially after she made it abundantly clear she trusts no one here, other than myself." Serah Farron-Villers was the first to approach. "I'll go." Snow Villers approached and said, "Me too." Before Holly could say a word, Avery Johnson appeared and interrupted, "I'll go, and, Holly, I'm absolutely certain we ALL know you're going." Despite the rudeness of Johnson's entry, she still smiled. Then, Claire stepped forward. "So will I." Others to volunteer were May, Tory, Dawn, and Jon-Kole. Just then, a face holly thought she wouldn't see again, at least for a long while, appeared. "I'm with you guys too!" "Nola?! What are you doing here?!" Holly asked, "I thought you were helping stabilize the Nirnian Mage's Guild." 'Well, turns out it wasn't as hard as I feared. With some help of the Torilian College of Waterdeep. So, I'm free for a while. So, when we heading off? Just fill me in on the way." Holly looked back at IceBite, who nodded to her, and she said, "We're leaving immediately." ---- It had been 20 years since Holly last stood on the Command Deck of the HCS Last Resort with the intention to do battle. Now, though, unlike previously, when it was to protect a planet, it was to get the most important person in her life back. Avery came up behind. "So, young lady, what's your plan?" Holly turned towards him as she answered. "We'll use the weapons onboard the Last Resort to disable the ship Sen's on, then we'll board the craft, rescue him, and get back." "Ah, seems simple enough, but one thing?" "What is it?" "That." Suddenly, a Sith Battlecruiser appeared, and it was quite obviously no HCS Asgard. "Sith Battlecruiser! Battlestations! Launch Attack Drones!" Serah used the controls on the bridge to launch the Attack Drones, while Snow prepared the vessel's weapons. "But, this isn't right. We were supposed to intercept the craft at the Mutara Nebula. How could it..." Then, Holly immediately realized something. "Scan the signal again." "What?!" "Just scan it again!" she screamed. Serah moved to the science station and did as told. Then, Holly rushed over an examined the screen. She made the tracer that was on Sen (of course, she only made it on request to IceBite, but he never said what it was for) and, therefore, she knew the precise frequency of the tracer. She analyzed the frequency read by the sensors and..."Shoot! It's not the same!" "What do you mean it's not the same!" "The tracer near Mutara, it's a decoy! Break off, break off!" Immediately, the Last Resort attempted to withdraw, but the Sith Battlecruiser openned fire. Caught off-guard, and Holly not thinking completely straight, the shields to the vessel were down and the lines for the engines were hit, stranding the Last Resort. "This isn't going well," said William Lennox, who also came along. "Get to the dropship, we need to get aboard!" Holly said. Immediately, the boarding party, consisting of Holly, Serah, Claire, Lennox, Johnson, and Nola Maenn, ran off, while Snow, Tory, Dawn, May, and Jon-Kole stayed behind to guard the ship and try to keep it intact. ---- The dropship ride was quite exciting, primarilly because of the fighters launched by the ship: new variants of the TIE Fighter with rotating parts: the main beam spun on a central axis, while the solar pannels at the end also rotated. The Solar Panels were those of the TIE Avenger, so that's were also where the Laser Cannons were located. And they were deadly! One took down 5 of Holly's Drones, and they were supposed to be the best Droid Fighters in the Coalition. Either way, the dropship made it to the Sith Battlecruiser. Inside, Holly' in her flight suit, got ready to go look for Sen. Meanwhile, the others prepared their weapons. Then, without a word, the emerged. At that moment, Sith began to emerge and attack, with blasters. Holly was able to use her Disc Blades to deflect the bolts while Nola Maenn used Shield Spells to block those that got by Holly. Then, Holly lunged forward, cutting down a Sith. Next, Claire came forward and blasted another Sith with her Blazefire Saber. William Lennox and Avery Johnson both fired on the remaining Sith, but their attacks were stopped. Then, Holly flung one of her Disc Blades at the Sith. It dodged, but didn't see as, like a boomerang, the weapon came around and sliced through the back of the Sith's head before Holly caught it again. Then, with all the Sith in the hanger dead, the group settled down, the black pointed helmet on Holly's Flight Suit folding in on itself, revealing Holly's head underneath. Her expression was one someone would more attribute to IceBite: Ice Cold Determination. "Come on," Holly said, "Let's get moving." ---- After fighting through more Sith, the group found themselves in a Chamber, and in that chamber... "Sen!" "Holly? What are you doing here? You need to get out of here!" "What are you talking about," she exclaimed, coming up nd grabbing Sen's arm, "I'm here to get you out!" "No, Holly you don't understand, hurry up, before Visarius..." then, Sen dropped on the ground, clenching his head, as though he were in pain. Suddenly, a wall of Force and Psionic Energy appeared, trapping Holly in the room. Then, a massive, Octopus-Faced creature descended towards them. "So...this is the girl..." the Illithid hissed. "What are you and what are you doing to Sen?!" Holly demanded the creature answer. "I am Visarius, the Isithid Dark Lord." "Isithid?" "An Illithid imbued with the Power of the Sith, we are more powerful than ANY other lifeform." "Get down here, and we'll find out." "Oh, I would, but I wouldn't want to get in the middle of your's and your boyfriend's fight..." "What do you mean by..." Suddenly, Holly saw as Sen began to stand up. He was no longer clenching his head, but he didn't look like himself. "Sen?" Holly squeaked. Sen didn't look like he heard, and ignited one of his lightsabers. "Sen...no!" Holly shouted in horror and dismay as Sen's mind fell prey to Visarius's powers. Suddenly, Holly felt something try to worm into her mind. Even in its weakened state, however, she easilly shrugged it off. Visarius's apparent reaction showed who was responsible. "Gah...Destroy her!" When Visarius ordered that, Sen lunged forward, swinging his lightsaber at Holly. Fortunately, Holly had her Disc Blades ready, and blocked Sen's attack with them. The force of the attack, however, threw Holly backwards into the Force Barrier, which didn't even budge. Holly rolled to avoid another strike. Outside the Shield, Nola Maenn pulled out her Staff, Apotheosis, and fired at the barrier. Even with the powers of the 9 Divines of Nirn, they couldn't penetrate the barrier, however Nola kept up the blast. Joining in, Claire and Serah both unleashed a power Thundaga Attack that struck with the Apotheosis Blast. However, the barrier still wouldn't budge, and they could see inside that Holly was getting weaker. Just then, another individual appeared, this one more well-known, and more friendly. "Mind if I lend a hand?" asked the Manifestation of Energy, Pyroketox, before charging energy in his clawed left hand, and releasing it as a blast of magnetic energy. Then, with his voice, he used Sonic Energy to create a Sonic Boom. That, combined with the attacks from Claire, Serah, and Nola, the barrier, at least near the exit, shattered. Ignoring her own safety, Serah rushed in, grabbed Holly, and dragged her out. She got her out just a second before the barrier rose again. With Serah and Lennox supporting Holly, the group rushed back to the dropship. When they got back, Snow asked, "Where's Sen?" Lennox interrupted, "Doesn't matter, we have to get the hell out of here!" The group then got to their stations (With Johnson taking Command, being the senior officer present), they piloted the dropship back to the Last Resort, which was at least partially repaired, but beseiged. When the group got back, Tory and the others were waiting for them. By then, Holly was semi-conscious, but was enough out of it to let the others know something was wrong. "What happened?!" Tory exclaimed. "It...it was...a Mind Flayer..." Holly mumbled semi-coherently, "It...has Sen...made Sen...one...of...them..." With that, Holly lost consciousness. Chapter 4: Coping Alban was shocked. This was the 2nd time in a week Holly was unconscious due to stress. He was also shocked to hear that not only was Draconus Rex's theory true, but that it also had control of Sen. He then overheard Claire's and Serah's debriefing with IceBite and Draconus Rex. "It called itself an 'Isithid'," Serah reported. "It seemed arrogant enough, as well," Claire said, remembering some of Draconus Rex's descriptions of Illithids. Suddenly, a noise sounded. They were near the outer halls of the base, so it came as little surprise when Paarthrunax's head snaked in. "I heard what happened, Krosis. But, I come to question: Is the foe's name really Visarius?" "Yes, it is," Serah answered. "Why?" Claire asked, "You heard of him?" "Yes," Paarthurnax responded, light anger apparent in his voice, "I have heard of him, Tahrodiis Sivaas, a most dangerous foe." Then, Alban realized something. He came up to the others, and commented, "I think I know something about Visarius..." This earned him the attention of the others, which didn't really phase him. "What is it, Alban, speak up," IceBite said, "Anything you can tell us may help us in future battles." Alban, after composing himself, comment, "That starship Holly's Team encountered isn't his real Flagship. I heard that, from Sith formerly aligned with the Shadow Alliance, he learned of the Hulk of a massive vessel with power to rival the Galactica: the Volfgang." ---- Dazed and confused, Holly woke up for the 2nd time this week in the Med Labs. She was met by a voice. "If you keep coming here like this, you may as well live here." It was Quel, trying to be humorous again. "How long was I out this time?" Holly asked. "Not long, a day or so," Quel answered. Holly sat up, and, although she was over the shock of the event, it didn't do anything to hep how much the revelation psycologically hurt. "I...I just can't believe that thing has Sen." Just then, Alban entered. "Holly! It's good to see you're up." "Nice to see you too, Alban," Holly responded, a little depressed. "Say, Holly, can I get you to talk to Kristine. It's become apparent that she doesn't trust anyone here." "From what I know, a common side effect of Shadow Alliance Imprisonment is distrust in people," Holly depressingly recited. Alban quickly realized Holly was depressed over her failure, but that just gave him more incentive to get Holly to associate with Kristine. After a few minutes, he finally convinced her to visit Kristine. When Holly reached Kristine's quarters, she knocked on the door. "Go away," Kristine said bitterly from within. "Hey, I'm Holly, I'm a friend of Alban. He told me to come and talk to you." She heard a small growl from within and Kristine responded, "Very well..." Holly openned the door and found the room only dimly lit, with Kristine sitting in a chair nearby. "Uh...hi," Holly said. "What do you want?" Kristine bitterly asked Holly. "Like I said, I just want to talk. Anything you want to talk about?" "Yes, you, leaving." Holly was taken aback by the comment, and said, "I'm just trying to be nice. Why are you like this?" Kristine, although she didn't trust Holly, could tell something was bugging her, and it was not Kristine. Suddenly, she felt something: sympathy and a yearning to find out what was botherhing her. Against her normal actions, she asked, "What's wrong? You sound depressed." Holly was surprised by this. Even though she wanted an answer, she realized she'd make more progress by answering Kristine's question. "My...my boyfriend was...kidnapped earlier this week. And worse the kidnapper...it has taken over his mind. I found him...but...but..." Holly almost broke down, when, suddenly, in a surge of empathy made Kristine actually feel for her. With that she actually felt the urge to try to comfort her, which she did. She did so for a few minutes, until Alban arrived. "Wow, Kristy, when'd you become a counsilor?" Then, Holly got up, slightly less upset, and said, "I have to go. See you later, Kristine?" "Count on it. And, it's Kristy." Holly smiled at Kristine allowing her to use her nickname. With that, though, she had to leave. ---- Holly aimlessly wandered around Kaven Base, lost in thought. She wanted Sen back, but, now that this 'Visarius' had him under his control, that was next-to-impossible now. She just wished there were some way to get Sen back. Suddenly, due to lack of attention, she walked right into Draconus Rex. "Wha...oh, sorry, sorry about that." "It's ok," Draconus responded calmly, "I know you meant nothing by it. I know you're upset about what happened to Sen." Holly just hung her head sadly. "I just don't know what to do...with that thing holding Sen's mind captive, I just...don't think I'll ever see him again, or if I do, it won't be a friendly reunion." "You never know. An Illithid's hold on someone isn't permanent." Suddenly, Holly felt a small glimmer of hope. "What do you mean?" "You remember my companion, Drizzt Do'Urden, right? Well, at one point, while escaping the Underdark, he and his companions were taken captive by Illithids, but, eventually, managed to break free of their hold on them." "So...there may still be a way to get Sen back?" "Maybe, but, unfortunately, before that happens, you'd probably still have to fight him." "I'll do anything to get him back. I still remember how he saved me almost 50 years ago, and it's about time I return that favor." Chapter 5: Preparations 1 week later In a darkened room, 2 individuals faced each other: one, a male in a hooded cloak, the other, a female in a black suit and helmet. The male pulled out a pair of lightsabers, their blades glowing blue. The female pulled out 2 ring-shaped weapons, which glowed with cyan light. The 2 fighters just watched each other, until the lightsaber-wielding individual lunged forward, the female catching the blades on the ring-shaped weapons. Then, the 2 were just a flurry of blades and light, one attempting to strike the other, only to be blocked. The fight dragged on for a half hour, until, suddenly, the female tried to wide-out strikes, only to be blocked by the male, who only realized too late that their body was wide open. The female lashed out with a furious kick, managing to keep balance, even though she was still holding back the lightsabers. The male was knocked backwards a few feet. Before he could react, the female had lunged and was already on him. crouched down on the male's chest, to pin him down, one hand was holding one arm down, the other holding one of the ring-shaped weapons to the man neck. Then, the female's helmet folding in on itself,, revealing Holly's face. "Concede!" she demanded to her opponent. From inside the hood came the voice of Luke Skywalker. "Very well. Great work, Holly." With that, Holly got up off her temporary mentor and helped him up. "So, how well did I do?" "Better than before, that's for sure." "Thank you." Just then, the door openned and IceBite entered, slowly clapping his hands. "Well done, Holly. It takes quite a swordsman to beat Luke in a duel." "Nah, I'm pretty sure he was just going easy on me, to actually give me a chance." Just then, however, Holly read Luke's expression, and immediately knew what it meant. "You weren't going easy on me?" "No, your victory there was all you." Holly's expression went from shocked, to happy, to extremely joyful. "I actually beat you?! I...I can't believe it." "Well, at least we can all be happy to know that Hellcat Squadran has a fighter that can take on Force Users head-to-head again," IceBite commented. Characters Main Characters Good *Holly Uricei Lund (Becomes Holly Uricei Lund-Urec by the very end of the story) *Sen Urec Evil *Visarius Other Characters *Leinad Llehctim *Natalia Llehctim *May Vera *Tory Lund *Dawn Zurita *Alban Pahlke *Kristine Pahlke *Ryan Ferran *Claire Farron-Ferran *Snow Villers *Serah Farron-Villers *Paarthurnax *Odahviing *Draconus Rex *William Lennox *Vaan *Penelo *Zack Sigurdson *Leandra Jackson *Luke Skywalker *Spartan Team Zodiac *Cerberus Wing *Avery Johnson *Pyroketox *Jauffre *Nola Maenn *Jack Sparrow *Hector Barbossa *Nalia Mae Sials *'Lykurgus' *'Jon-Kole' *Jean-Luc Picard *Chancellor Martok *Sela *Ashelia B'nargin Dalmasca *Helryx *Commodon *Terrence Hood *Thel 'Vadam *Gutak 'Cyandenee Mentioned Characters *ANS-1-1 'Alphaunus' *ANS-1-3 'Penelope' *ANS-1-4 'Messon' *ANS-1-5 'Mumantius' *Drizzt Do'Urden Category:Stories